This drawing and its companion are part of a sketchbook also containing self portrait studies of the artist. The portraits of Rowling were made during the first sitting held in her Edinburgh office, and the café where she sometimes works when the artist also took photographs. Two further single full-day sittings took place at Rowling's Scottish home. The artist worked on an oil portrait on paper and took photographs, his idea being to complete the oil on paper, which would be laid down on board. Back in his London studio, Pearson Wright decided he was not happy with how work was progressing and decided to make a smaller scale three-dimensional work – which is what the National Portrait Gallery subsequently acquired in 2005. The self portrait drawings in the sketchbook record a day in the life of the artist and they are the starting point for a film project still to be realised.